These are probably awkward times for Zimbabwe’s ‘African Pentecostal/Apostolic’
church leaders. Only a couple of months ago some of
them were fawning before the former first lady and her cohorts and praying for
the long life and rule of her husband. On new year’s eve some of them organised a national prayer meeting with the new president and his wife in Bulawayo that
was broadcast live on state television.
While the president was different, the script was the
same. A lot of praise and endorsement
for the new president and significant recognition of the first lady. And the old habit that will probably never
die, declaring electoral support for the president in the now much more
imminent harmonised election of this year.
Throw in a couple of quips about the fact that most African
churches pray in the open and require governments intervention to allocate them
‘stands’ and the script is complete in praise and worship.
In other media stories there is as expected, positive prophecies
about the new president and how he will, with the help of God and the intervention
of the self styled prophet, lead the country to greater things or
prosperity. All in the space of a year
(2018).
The orthodox churches have been a little bit quieter on the
praise front. Though one of their clergy
and specifically from the Catholic church, Fr Mukonori was instrumental in the
negotiations to get ‘confined’ Mugabe to
resign.
Others, through the Zimbabwe Council of Churches helped
organise a National People’s Convention of civil society organisations to set
out a list of demands to the ‘new’ government.
What is evident in all of the above cited actions of the churches,
whatever their hue (African, orthodox, Pentecostal) have some sort of stake in
our national politics. And they also have both an affinity and proximity to political
power. Especially to those that would
yield it.
And this is not an historically new thing in Zimbabwe or the
world. What must however be considered is the extent to which the role of the
church contributes to further democratisation of our society or comprises it.
And this is a key consideration because our society while it
has always been religious via the (still) dominant orthodox churches, it is
also keenly pursuing a modern (and popular) Pentecostalism. And religion tends to affect political perception
in one way or the other.
Prior to the coup/military intervention a majority of church
leaders (not sure about their followers) actively positioned their churches to
be aligned to the ruling establishment. The
possible reasons for this are many but would largely relate to seeking access
to state sanctioned privileges (land, avoiding the taxman, or the law).
In the ‘new era’ this is least likely to change. And for historical
reasons. The church and the state have
always had a quid pro quo relationship in establishing a mutually beneficial
hegemony/dominance. A rapture with this arrangement
occurred during the liberation struggle but was restored with independence. And has not really been significantly challenged
or changed ever since.
The church looks for the state and the state finds the
church. Even in a period of reinvention
such as national independence.
But the coup/military intervention on behalf of the ruling
party startled the church. It meant a
realignment with the new dominant political power over the state. And true to fashion the church is currying familiar
favours from the establishment. A pure case of seeking survival or at least to
be left to continue with its oft times lucrative religiosity.
The dilemma with this this is that the church will avoid
speaking truth to power with very few exceptions. And in the process lose any claims it may
make to political morality on behalf of its followers or in the name of democracy
itself.
In the process it negatively impacts a ‘necessary critical national
consciousness’. One in which political views and debate is deliberately overwhelmed
by superstitious narratives of prophesy and biblical quotes. All in order to give a veneer of religiosity
to a rapacious neo-liberalism/ millennial capitalism where the politically connected (church leaders
included) get wealthier at the expense of the religious poor.
Where we have freedom of worship guaranteed in the
constitution of Zimbabwe, we must also be aware of the importance of not looking
at it in isolation from broader democratic values and principles. Even in the aftermath of a military
intervention/coup.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (tkura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
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